Only one in three Hungarians use the tradional fixed line phone to make their calls according to the latest stats: Híradó: Aranyláz
Tovább csökkent a vezetékes fővonalak száma

What is more, the total number of calls made using fixed lines have fallen between March and April by over 12,000. The length of the average phone call is down from 3.33 minutes to 3.01 minutes. The total amount of time (per month) spent talking went down from 225.5 minutes to 198.8 minutes. And finally the proportion of homes that have a phone fell slightly from 70.1% at the end of March to 69.9%.

So does this mean the Hungarians are losing their voices - hell no. It's just this is a nation that likes to do its talking on the move, whether that's walking or driving.

The number of ISDN lines didn't change in April, still at 16.67%. There was a slight rise in the number of xDSL (typically ADSL)lines by 7.88% (another 10,000 or so). I'm sure the number ADSL users is going to continue to rise as the prices have just come down again. For a 3MB ADSL line the prices start at 4,990 forints (roughly 20 Euros or 25 US dollars) per month. The same companies offer combined telephone and ADSL services from 6500 forints (about 25 Euros or 32 US Dollars).

I think like most of us, Hungarians have a fixed line in the home now because they have to, not because they use that for their calls. It's a kind of expensive answer machine, something you can depend on being able to use when you forget your latest mobile phone number and need to phone home.

A lot of younger Hungarians I know also use Internet telephony a lot. Things like Skype. It's something that I've used to call the family back home and, well, saved a fortune.